It was an historic day on Marblehead’s cross-country home course at Lead Mills for the girls team (3-0), when they took care of Peabody in a close meet, 25-30 on Sept. 10. It was their first-ever win over the Tanners in the Coach Will Herlihy era, and quite possibly ever. That momentum carried over to the Masco meet one week later on the Bradley Palmer State Park course. As it turned out, the Chieftains ended up being just another victim for these Magicians to the tune of 23-32.
“This is the first time that the Marblehead girls have beaten Peabody in a dual meet since I started coaching here in 2022, and as far as I know it’s also the first time that (this program) have ever beaten Peabody,” said Herlihy.
Of the 12 Marblehead runners on this year’s squad, 11 of them have improved on their times so far this fall.
“It was a great team showing by our girls (against Peabody). They raced with lots of heart and guts,” said Herlihy, “while also showcasing the characteristics of a championship-contending team.
“All of these girls have worked so hard through the early stages of this season, and this win against Peabody was a sweet victory worth celebrating. It was also a glimpse of their potential,” added the veteran Marblehead coach.
“We are certainly not overlooking anyone else in the NEC throughout the rest of the regular season, but they now know they have the potential to compete for an NEC title, not to mention be ranked among the best in the state this postseason.”
Herlihy went on to say, “senior captain Marri O’Connell continues to stand alone as the best runner in the NEC, having now already beaten three of the Top 8 finishers in last year’s NEC Championship Meet. Her time of 18:45 against Peabody improved on her existing home course record from the prior week against Swampscott by 13 seconds. She continues to make fast times look casual.”
Junior Sarah Munroe (19:37) finished second overall in the Peabody meet, a 23-second improvement since the Swampscott encounter. “(Munroe) has established herself as an elite talent, who can easily match up with the NEC best,” said Herlihy.
Sophomore Norah Walsh (21:04) was fifth, a 1:03 improvement in just one week. “She battled hard with Peabody’s third and fourth place runners in the second half of the race, before ultimately breaking away in the final mile,” said Herlihy.
The two remaining Top 5 Marblehead scorers against Peabody were sophomore Ruby Assa (eighth) and freshman Sophia Letwin (ninth). They also improved on their times since the opener against Swampscott by 0:28 and 1:46, respectively.
“Despite being a sophomore, Ruby ran like a seasoned veteran, knowing exactly where she needed to be to best help her team win the meet,” said Herlihy, “while also being a guide for her freshman teammate Sophia, who also left it all on the course.”
Rounding out Marblehead’s Top 7 versus Peabody were freshman Nadia Siragusa (11th) and junior captain Jesslyn Roemer (13th).
Boys come up short against Masco
The boys team (0-3) is still looking for their first cross-country win after Masco defeated them, 24-31 at Bradley Palmer State Park on Sept. 17.
“(Masco) got the best of us in this meet,” said coach Brian Heenan.
Senior captain Henrik Adams (16:37) continued to impress this season with another first-place finish. He was supported by teammates Will Cruikshank (fifth), Filip Grubor (sixth), Zach Pike (ninth) and Isaac Durand (10th), who all had Top 10 finishes.
Girls soccer stays unbeaten
The Marblehead High girls soccer team (4-0-2) had another unbeaten week after battling Beverly to a scoreless stalemate under the lights at Piper Field on Monday, Sept. 15, before edging Saugus two days later, 3-2, also at home.
Coach Lisa Wales said that the encounter against Beverly “was a very exciting, fast-paced game,” despite the obvious lack of goals on both sides.
“We played really well in the second half, but just weren’t able to find the back of the net,” Wales added.
Courtney Histscherich, Lucy McDonald, Lucy Church, Sydney Ball, Callie Gilmore and Ainsley McDonald were singled out by the coach for their exceptional play against the Panthers. Goalie Hailey Gilmore did her part to preserve the point in the Northeastern Conference (NEC) standings with five saves.
But these Magicians got back into the win column against Saugus with a hard-fought triumph over their NEC rivals.
Liv Carlson, Callie Gilmore and Lucy McDonald were credited with the goals. Ainsley McDonald led the team in assists with two. Sydney Ball collected one helper.
Hailey Gilmore made another five saves, but this time they were all in the first half, before Lily Heller took over the goaltending chores, coming up with two more stops to help deny a win for the Sachems.
Field hockey splits the week on consecutive days
The Marblehead High field hockey team (3-2-1) began last week with a 3-0 shutout home win over non-league Everett on Sept. 15. They were back on the Piper turf the very next day, where they fell to visiting Beverly, 6-2.
Elizabeth Hayes started the Everett game in goal, making three first half saves that included one incredible block to stop a breakaway scoring bid by the Crimson Tide. Molly Beauchesne took over the goaltending chores in the second half to preserve the shutout.
“Our offense played hard, but Everett’s defense challenged us to keep the game close on the scoreboard,” said first-year coach Alison Carey. “All the credit goes to Everett’s goalie Wilins Julien, who was everywhere his team needed him to be to make the saves. I will always appreciate a great game, and in this one Julien was incredibly fun to watch. We’re looking forward to seeing him again, when we play at Everett on Oct. 8.”
Keliane Salem, Carolyn Black and Layla Dulac did beat him to account for the home team’s three goals.
But then, Beverly came to town to humble these Magicians.
“This was a tough loss, but give Beverly credit, they played a great game,” said Carey. “Our passing and teamwork served us well on offense, while the defensive line played its heart out to stop some Beverly scoring opportunities.”
Dulac scored both Marblehead goals, one in the second quarter from Zoe Dwyer, and another one in the third quarter. On the other side of the field, Meggie Grenier, Paige Waldman and Kate Andriano were all over the Beverly forwards most of the time, while constantly communicating with their teammates in the backfield. Hayes played the entire game in net, coming up with eight stops.
Volleyball powers past conference rivals Peabody, Beverly
A pair of 3-0 shutout wins over Peabody and Beverly last week has the Marblehead High volleyball team (5-1) cruising in September.
Against Peabody on Sept. 15, Lila Moniz and Greta Sachs led the offense with 11 kills apiece, while Mari Modrzynska tacked on another 10. Sydney Faris finished up with eight aces and 23 digs.
Setters Eva Burke (16 assists) and Sydney DaSilva (17 assists) also contributed to the Marblehead offense.
It was more of the same against Beverly two days later.
Moniz led again in kills with six. Modrzynska and Sachs each collected five in another dominating performance by the Magicians overall. Burke chipped in with 14 assists.
“In the back row, Sydney Faris was stellar (against the Panthers), passing to a 2.5 serve receive percentage, while adding seven digs,” said coach Killeen Miller.
Golfers enjoy another week
The Marblehead golfers (8-1-1 in the NEC, 8-2-1 overall) took care of Danvers (46-26, Sept. 16) and Salem (58.5-13.5, Sept. 18) on the road last week, but between those two matches they were humbled by Masco at Tedesco, 40.5-31.5.
Against Danvers, Max King (6-3), Greyson Leventhal (8-1), Will Macrina (5.5-3.5), Joy Meshulam (7-2), Colby Moore (5.5-3.5) and Ted Dulac (6-3) won their respective matches over the Falcons, while Tyler Forbes settled for a tie (4.5-4.5). Forbes, Leventhal and Moore, all shooting 39s, were the team’s medalists.
In the match against the Chieftains, Dylan Whitman (6.5-2.5) and Leventhal (5.5-3.5) came through with the lone Marblehead victories. Forbes once again ended up in a tie. Forbes and King, both shooting 36s, were the team’s medalists. Leventhal was close behind them with an overall score of 37.
Bowden Laramie, Zac Plum, Forbes, King, Leventhal, Macrina, Meshulam and Moore secured the victories against the Witches. Moore was the lone medalist after shooting a 34, one under par. Leventhal (35) and Forbes (36) also played well, according to coach Bob Green.
